Morrissey’s health has been the subject of much public speculation; over the last 18 months he has been forced to repeatedly reschedule and scrap tour dates over ongoing medical problems, bouncing in and out of the hospital with issues ranging from bleeding ulcer and Barrett’s esophagus to double pneumonia and respiratory infections.
Today, the former Smiths frontman — who has a rabid Mexican and Mexican-American following — revealed to Spanish newspaper El Mundo that he is, in fact, battling cancer. Though he did not specify what type of cancer, he told the paper: “They have scraped cancerous tissues four times already, but whatever. If I die, then I die. And if I don’t, then I don’t. Right now I feel good. I am aware that in some of my recent photos I look somewhat unhealthy, but that’s what illness can do. I’m not going to worry about that, I’ll rest when I’m dead.”
We can only hope he recovers and is able to finish his debut novel — even though he’s claimed that once its finished he will retire from songwriting and performing 🙁